Uth Ministry

Our Purpose

The church is not to assume the role of the parent or to compete with them, but to assist parents in bringing up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Deut. 6:4-8, Eph. 6:4).

a) Help evangelize unbelieving youth of church members

b) Help disciple believing youth of church members

c) Support and encourage biblical parental authority

d) Involve parents in all levels of leadership

e) Provide resources to parents

2. Fulfill the Ministry of the Church

The church’s mandate is to equip all saints for the works of service, this includes teens. The family unit was not designed to be the sole source of instruction for children or their parents (Heb. 10:24-25, 1 Tim. 3:15, Eph. 4:11-16).

a) Equip youth for the works of service

b) Present every youth complete in Christ

c) Protect youth from false doctrine

d) Prepare the next generation of faithful believers

Our Goals

Powerful Bible Teaching

We are convinced that the powerful, accurate, compelling applicational, and consistent teaching of the Word of God is to be the foundation of every ministry in the church, including ministry to youth. Only as our teens hear the Word of God can they come to faith in Christ and be conformed to the image of Christ. To this end the teaching of God’s Word is the focal point of our youth ministry.

Exaltation of Christ

Teens are in desperate need of a clear, compelling view of Christ so that they can understand the reason that they are being called to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow after Him. It is our passion to teach the love, grace, truth, and power of Christ so that our teens will find their satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment in the Lord Jesus alone. Only when our young people are satisfied in Christ will they be able to resist the pleasures of the world which constantly clamor for their attention.

Parental Involvement

We rely heavily on parent involvement in all aspects of youth ministry, and in no way encourage youth to disassociate, or distance themselves from parental involvement in any area of their lives.

Church Integration

Additionally we see our young people as a vital part of the church as a whole, not a separate entity pursuing a different spiritual agenda. To this end we encourage and provide opportunities for ministry and involvement within the church as well as in partnership with other church ministries.

Mature/Christ-Honoring Environment

We desire to provide a youth environment in which the fear and love of God, obedience to parents, passion for ministry to believers, and intentional evangelism for the lost are promoted. Although we understand that our teens will include a mix of believers and unbelievers, we in no way desire to pander to the popular culture in order to entertain those who have no interest in Christ. We are convinced that the powerful teaching of the Word of God and an atmosphere of true love for Christ and love for others, exhibited by both young people and leaders, are the most powerful ways to reach unbelievers and encourage believers.

Opportunities for Growth and Leadership

Finally, we recognize that parents are often looking for leadership and spiritual growth opportunities for their children that cannot always be accomplished at home. To this end we desire to provide servant leadership programs, music ministry training, mission trips, apologetics training, and other ministries to help parents prepare their teens for effective, lifelong service for Christ once they leave the home.

Programs

Sunday School – Second Service (10:30-11:45)

The youth, age 12-18 meet together for a time of in-depth study. Our purpose is to help prepare them with a rock-solid Biblical foundation upon which they will build for the rest of their lives. To this end we rotate through a cycle of: exegetical teaching through books of the Bible, Systematic Theology, OT and NT Survey, and Apologetics and Worldview Studies.

Garamuts Wednesday Night 6:30-8:30 pm

The youth (ages 12-18) meet for a joyful time of singing, and teaching from the Word, followed by fellowship and prayer in small groups. We rotate between expository teaching through a book of the Bible and in-depth instruction on Biblical topics.

Events and Activities

Each month we hold various activities for the purposes of fellowship, evangelism, or ministry (usually all three). These may include extreme events like a 30 Hour Famine, fun events like paintball, service events such as babysitting for the parents of the church or cleaning the Chilhowee Baptist Center parking lot! Each event includes a time to focus on God’s Word and apply it directly to the variety of situations encountered during our time together.

Camp and Retreats

Each year we hold several retreats in order to grow in our knowledge of God’s Word, build Christ-centered relationships with one another, and enjoy God’s handiwork in a variety of settings. These are powerful times of life-changing interaction and encouragement.

Bible Quizzing

Each year we choose a portion of Scripture to memorize, break up into teams, and then have several quiz meets to test our knowledge of the Scripture we have committed to memory. This is an excellent way to creatively encourage our youth to hide God’s Word in their hearts that they may keep their way pure. We pray also that ministry will be a catalyst to helping each person develop a lifelong habit of systematic memorization of Scripture.